Low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy of BaTiO3:Ce3+ ceramics

Dielectric spectroscopy of BaTiO3 (BT) doped with Ce3+ (BT:Ce3+) ceramics was performed at extended temperatures and in the low-frequency ranges. BT:Ce3+ displays decreasing values of all phase transition temperatures with increasing Ce3+ content. Permittivity versus temperature plots showed decreasing values with increasing frequency with low dispersion and shifting values of the Curie temperatures (T-c) towards high frequencies. Comparable values of losses for BT and BT:Ce3+ ceramics suggest good charge compensation. At low frequencies and higher temperatures, thermally activated mechanisms of conduction increase the loss values. With increasing frequency, the BT:Ce3+ system displays increased and shifted loss peaks up to T-c and decreasing values above T-c. The characteristic exponent of the modified Curie-Weiss law is higher than one. These figures suggest a relaxor-like behaviour of BT:Ce3+ ceramics for low Ce3+ content. Phase diagrams of BT:Ce3+ ceramics show a strong decrease of T-c for low Ce3+ content.